Bring on the 2009 draft

[kernowboy]

Well, though I was disappointed with Day2, I cannot travel back in time. If we do flunk on our picks with Day2, I hope the front office realises that a team can fill needs with Day2 selections. It is rare for many Guards or Centers to go on Day1 so here we need to look at guys who can potentially step up. There have been many Pro-Bowlers selected on Day2 of the draft such as Tom Nalen and Jared Allen amongst others, and we seriously need to start finding these guys. All I can say is that now that we have apparently re-stocked the Special Teams, I hope this excuse isn’t used on Day2 next year

As it is here are some names to look out for, that ultimately might not look too bad in the Bills uniform. I have assumed we’ll make the Playoffs (hurrah) but fall in the 1^st round. I have had a look at the current pending Free agents on Kffl.com and there is little available that might be signable and be considered upgrades.

I have also assumed that Denney and Reed might not be re-signed, Losman will go for no compensation, Crowell will leave because he is deemed an injury risk whose contract demands we refuse to meet and Evans will need to be franchised in which case we should trade him - to the Buccaneers as Galloway's replacement

QB: I’m hoping that Edwards continues to develop but even if we retain JP for all the season, Trent will need a backup/competition. With only 4-5 Quarterbacks selected on Day 1 in 2006, 2007 and now 2008, I would take a long look at Todd Boeckman (6ft5, 243lbs, 4.73) of Ohio St in Round 3 as he is sufficiently mobile and has a missile launcher of an arm. A bit hot and cold at the moment though.

RB: With Lynch, Jackson, Wright and Omon onboard, surely we won’t look at a RB again unless one seriously falls and represents ridiculous value.

FB: If we are seriously interested in playing with a Full Back, we need a good one. Chris Pressley (6ft1, 259lbs, 4.70) of Wisconsin, looks like a talented lead blocker to me.

TE: We have all agreed (I think) that the TE situation is unacceptable. I believe Royal’s contract is up, so here is an ideal time to do something about it. There are a number of good tight ends come out next year and we MUST select one. Take your pick from Chase Coffman (6ft6, 245lbs, 4.75) of Missouri who was better than Rucker, Ryan Purvis (6ft4, 260lbs, 4.76) of BC, Logan Paulsen (6ft6, 250lbs, 4.72) of UCLA. An amusing selection might be Steve Sicko (6ft3, 242lbs, 4.65) of New Hampshire. This selection must come on Day1.

WR: Currently we have an excellent corps, but Evans might need to be franchised, and Reed’s contract is up in 2009. I am (gasp) in favour of trading Evans as I think in 2009 we can upgrade here and I think a R1 and a R3 is an acceptable offer. I doubt we can get Michael Crabtree (6ft3, 222lbs, 4.49) of Texas Tech but we can definitely get Darrius Heyward-Bey (6ft3, 195lbs, 4.37) of Maryland. A 2^nd receiver could be Tiquan Underwood (6ft2, 180lbs, 4.42) of Rutgers.

OL: We are set at tackle as I think Peters and Walker are a great pairing, Demetrius Bell will develop into a decent LT backup and Butler can slide outside. However the interior needs some work. We could draft Cedric Dockery (6ft4, 320lbs, 5.23) and have brothers playing in the team. Matt Slausen (6ft5, 335lbs, 5.30) of Nebraska could be interesting as could Mike Brown (6ft5, 300lbs, 5.09) of Mississippi St. Surely we must also upgrade at center. Players who will possibly be around in the middle of the draft might be AQ Shipley (6ft1, 293lbs, 5.05) of Penn St, Robby Felix (6ft3, 295lbs, 5.04) of UTEP and Alex Derenthal (6ft4, 294lbs, 5.00) of Temple.

DE: Denney is coming to the end of his contract and while I feel Chris Ellis can step up, this leaves a vacancy again. A great pick could be Lawrence Wilson (6ft6, 276lbs, 4.61) but he will go high so more likely picks are Mack Frost (6ft5, 252lbs, 4.70) of Maryland, Jamaal Westerman (6f3, 260lbs, 4.66) of Rutgers or Larry English (6ft3, 255lbs, 4.68) of Northern Illinois. An interesting free agent here could be Kenechi Udeze assuming he has recovered from his illness. Lance Armstrong proved it is possible to become a superior athlete after such a trauma.

DT: With Stroud, McCargo and Johnson signed up this might be a chance to upgrade the depth. Eli Ash (6ft5, 293lbs, 4.91) of Houston having transferred from Tennessee might be a decent selection though not crucial

LB: Here comes the second big decision. Angelo Crowell. With his injury history, we may need to let him go if he asks too much, but we can draft his replacement in Sean Lee (6ft2, 232lbs, 4.59) of Penn St is an excellent replacement in Round 1. However having torn his ACL he will be a steal on Day 2

CB/S: Unless we have an absolute disaster, our secondary is now youthful and talented enough to be left alone.

R1. Darrius Heyward-Bey WR
R1. Chase Coffman TE
R2. Todd Broekman QB
R3. Tiquan Underwood WR
R3. Sean Lee OLB
R4. Chris Pressley FB
R5. Alex Derenthal C
R6. Eli Ash DT
R7. BPA

[KO1]

Re: Bring on the 2009 draft

Crabtree is gonna be a beast!!!

[PECKERWOOD]

Re: Bring on the 2009 draft

Sean Lee tore his ACL and will likely see his stock drop as a result.. He will probably go on Day 2 next year.

[kernowboy]

Re: Bring on the 2009 draft

Sean Lee tore his ACL and will likely see his stock drop as a result.. He will probably go on Day 2 next year.

Then even better because the boy is simply a football player.

[bigbub2352]

Re: Bring on the 2009 draft

Good post, nice work

[Hammertime]

Re: Bring on the 2009 draft

Then even better because the boy is simply a football player.

Sean Lee will red-shirt at PSU this year and return next year.

[trapezeus]

Re: Bring on the 2009 draft

is this post serious? we had a hard time predicting the 2008 draft on Friday before the draft. now we are talking about our needs when we don't know how the 2008 season went?

I think draft mania has gone too far.